US Geological Survey simulation

Asked what DBSC would look like if we turned back the global warming to pre-industrial times, the USGS provided the following:

Photo by Sergey.

BBQ and drinks...

....for members and their spouses, partners, children and least hostile acquaintances to celebrate the final day of racing for the 2014/15 season.

Winterizing

With many Lasers being winterized from this Saturday, this is an opportunity to ensure:

• boats have names and numbers on their stern;
• spars are marked with boat numbers and left within their allocated rack space;
• foils, bags, life jackets, booties, etc are left in the cockpit of the owner's boat and not on the clubhouse floor or on the neighbour's stern;
• boat covers are left on boats or kept at home, and not on the floor of the club;
• no clothing is left in the change rooms; and,
• no food, or food wrappers, are left in boats, bags, life jackets or clothes (because we are making a concerted effort to wipe out the non-indigenous rodents).

The Dene Bergman is being taken out of the water this coming Saturday so hydraulic steering can be fitted and the annual motor maintenance can occur.  It will be in the centre aisle of the clubhouse until the work is finished.

Indications are that a number of the younger folk and masters will be training throughout the winter.  We hope to publish a calendar soon of these informal sessions....we might even use some interact social media technology!

Grasshopper 2.0 reports....

...from the manufacturing wasteland of Victoria:

The 2015 Victorian Youth Championships were held at Mornington Yacht Club in Melbourne over the weekend.  The Co-Founder, and COO, of Team Alexander and I travelled down Friday night and set up camp onsite at the Yacht Club.  Unfortunately, my travelling companion was unable to put up the Radial rig and compete due to his Apprentice Master status, so this time it was just me competing while the 2IC at Team Alexander supported me on the rib watching the racing unfold.

The first day of racing was held in light 5 knots of breeze on the bay.  It made for some super tricky racing against the lightweight Victorians (ed: the economy is quite bad in the south with nutrition levels reaching North Korean standards).  Some of the 4.7 sailors had just moved into the radial rig (ed: must be family members of the governing regime), so it was a challenge to race against the feather weights.  After day one, I scored 1,1,2 which placed me in 1st overall with a handy lead. 
 
Day 2 forecasted heavier breeze, with gusts of about 12-15knt, however, it was very shifty so there were some massive holes on the course and although they predicted heavier winds it definitely started very light… and I even got to enjoy sailing through pods of dolphins! Race 4 provided me with lots of challenge.  Lights winds meant that I needed to sail smart and conserve my tacks.  Overall, I ended up with a 4,1,1 putting me 1st overall with a 7 point lead to 2nd. 
  
It was great to experience another regatta venue for the first time with all its new challenges and local knowledge but rest assured I was able to put my skills honed on the DBSC race track to good use!
 
All in all, a great success and lots of fun!

Speculating of tactics, Dear Leader, elaborated:

"Grasshopper 2.0 showed great maturity to push hard to win the psychologically all-important first heat and thus putting doubt in the minds of his competitors.  Disconcerting, however, is that the 2IC of Team Alexander even contemplated sailing in a Radial - a strange reaction to a  mid-life crisis - I strongly recommend to the CEO of Team Alexander that she authorise a new Laser with only a standard rig - a much cheaper option than the Porsche"

BBB reports.....

Four boats presented late on a sunny morning. A gentle southerly was blowing, predicting to build to 20 knots by race time.

Build it did, and skippers either reefed the main or shook out their #3 headsails. The wind rattled our rigging as we maneouvered for the 1.00pm start

Time & Tide won the start, and we headed for Point Piper on a squareish reach, with plenty of wind. But the Point Piper mark was in the lee of the point, and the winds were flukish. Ten metres form the mark, T&T was becalmed, and first Corinna and then Umbakumba sailed over us, with momentum from a gust that never came. 

The leg to Taylor's Bay was the most difficult of the race; the wind was dead astern on the average, but shifted and gusted. Helmsmen had to fight to avoid unwanted gybes, whatever tack they were on; there was no encouragement to put up a kite.

Umbakumba made the best of it, poling her headsail quickly to starboard, and hanging on to that setting. Corinna went low, gybed onto a port tack and managed the gusts.

On the leg to Sow'n PIgs, Chenonceau made a charge from the rear, fast in the close reaching conditions; but the wind was gusting well over 20 knots, and there was always a danger of rounding up. Chenonceau was caught a couple of time, but was well within striking distance as we turned the mark to head upwind, to Shark Island.

Umbakumba turned first and stayed ahead, fast under a reefed main and small headsail. For all us, sailing to windward in heavy, gusty conditions is a challenge to our skill; managing gusts without being overpowered, sailing high without luffing, avoid stalling and over-heeling. Clean work tacking the headsail.

We all chased Umbakumba, but her crew had the right combination of sail settings and boat management; she would not be caught. Time & Tide and Chenonceau - the smallest and largest boats in the fleet - tussled for advantage in the windward leg; all that separated us was a decision or two close to the top mark.

For a change, the last leg - to Clarke Island - was uneventful. Any southerly wind veers and back and dies and gust so close to a point (Point Piper); we are all experienced now in managing the flukiness; and we were too separated for attack and defense.

It was a fun, testing sail in blowy conditions; classical racing.

Across the line: 

Umbakumba
Corinna
Time & Tide
Chenonceau

We race again on May 3

Be there or be ........

Jonathan

Inchcolm Isle

Looks nice for our honorary Co-COTD, Adrian Bull, but with water temperatures in the single-digits, Sydney beats Edinburgh.

Only two more weekends of racing this season

The last week's autumnal weather is a reminder that there's only two more weeks in Season 2015-16. Racing normally concludes on the last weekend in April, but the Centenary of Anzac takes priority ON 25 April, and so there will be no racing.  

This weekend is Pointscore

The 18th is both Pointscore and club championship. And BBQ post racing. 

1pm briefing, 2pm starts as usual. 

AGM: democracy at work

Annual General Meeting (Friday, 22 May 2014, 7pm)

Unlike the annual general meetings of public companies where where is always a long "bitching session" at the end of formalities, our abridged version of democracy allows for people who want to  make a difference to get on the management committee: you just have to email a nomination to secretary@dbsc.com.au, or speak to the People's Prince (+61 419 224 795 or commodore@dbsc.com.au).

We rarely have enough volunteers for positions, so sometimes the press-gangs needs to operate. If you are not already on the committee, and we expect you to be the next CEO of a public company, or leading professional in your field of choice, don't be surprised if you get a call.

If you have limited time, however, you don't need to be on the committee to help.  Many of our members just roll up their sleeves and do stuff without being on the committees, in particular, the Sunday 18s helpers (John and Peter), the regular canteen crew (Andrea, Deb, Shirley and Carolyn), The Wise Master, LTR crew (Blackie, Craig, Justin, et al), to name just a few.

While some prefer the benevolent authoritarian regimes, it is the club's policy to encourage democracy based on the model first espoused in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Please participate by attending the AGM which usually goes for only 30 minutes before the Annual presentation and the post-AGM supper commences.  It's a night to celebrate our club's successes, both on and off the water.  

(NB: consider this circular the notice of meeting.  Please click here for last year's minutes.)

ESSSS

Easter Saturday Super Sprints Series (“ESSSS) at Double Bay

No formal racing is scheduled for Easter Saturday.  But following from the success of the club racing sprints last Easter, we are hosting another super sprint session on Easter Saturday.  Improve your boat handling while addressing your chocolate calorie overload in advance.

This Eastern tradition now rivals the Bells surfing contest, and will only be bettered by the eventual agreement by western and Orthodox christian churches on the date for Easter itself. 

Format will be very similar to last year.  6-8 races of 15-18 minutes each, 2 laps windward returns, with very quick turnarounds between races. Three (3) minute sequences.  Remember this is the last day of daylight savings, and parking is easy because there is no school sport.

Although stragglers are encouraged to cut corners on the last lap so they don't miss the next race (There's more to be learned in the first 200m of a race compared to the last 200m), we want perfect starts and compliance with the rules, and turns when required.

Large-footed Myotis

Working with Forest Science Unit of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Dear Leader will be DBSC's representative in the Biodiversity Unit's, research into large-footed Myotis, also known as fishing bat.

During April there will be scientific instruments placed at the club to pick up the high-frequency calling of this threatened species.  Please be aware that sophisticated recording equipment left at the club, most likely the deck, should not be touched.

Speaking about DBSC's contribution, Dear Leader enthused:

"If there is one thing we learnt last Saturday, it is the importance of being green.  Malcolm and Lucy have encouraged me since leaving the mining industry to focus on the environment.  They reinforced the view at our dear friend's, LKY, funeral this week."

David Attenborough later said, 

"This is an important piece of research, and we will be monitoring the work done at DBSC.  Ideally, we have another species that needs investigation in the locality - visitors to The Island who on return to dry land tend to want to mate outside the roller door to the club.  Hopefully the noise from this introduced species will not affect the recordings of the fishing bats"

Dear Leader showing us the wingspan of the primary research target